Chapter 5: The Lycan Prince’s Luna

Sadie’s POV

I whipped my head towards the Lycan Prince seated in the shadows. He abruptly stood up, his movement startlingly fluid for someone his size. Standing at his full height, he was much taller than I’d expected. Lycans were naturally more robust than werewolves, possessing a superior strength. But the Lycan Prince was even more imposing. I gasped despite myself as my eye scanned his broad shoulders, his perfectly chiseled muscles apparent under his tailored clothing.

His very presence demanded attention, and as he rose, all eyes shifted from the golden slate to him. The she-wolves stared in admiration as he stepped out of the shadows, finally revealing his face for the first time.

The moment his full face came into view, the crowd fell silent. His thick brows and full lashes framed his piercing blue eyes, the color of the ocean and just as deep. He had a perfectly sculpted nose that sat directly above a set of sensual, thick lips. His jawline was sharp enough to cut stone. My eyes landed on his thick, black hair that fell over one eye, and my breath caught in my throat.

He was undeniably the most striking man I’d ever seen. My heart hammered in my chest as I tried to maintain my composure.

His eyes were fixed on me and I felt myself flush. His gaze didn’t waver as he strode towards me with impossibly long legs. His gaze was unrelenting and intense, so much so that I could only glance at him for moments at a time before my eyes naturally averted. My pulse raced in a mixture of awe and nervous energy that flooded all my senses.

He came and stood beside me, and in front of the entire pack, he reached for my hand. The envy was palpable on each and every she-wolf’s face.

His voice rang out, firm and commanding, leaving no room for doubt.

“She is my Luna.”

Shock rippled through the crowd. Then the crowd erupted into murmurs of agreement. I wasn’t just a she-wolf, I heard them whisper. I was the Alpha’s daughter, born of Alpha blood, destined for greatness. They’d always known it, they told one another.

But just then, a sharp voice cut through the murmurs of awe and reverence.

Delphine stepped forward. “Sadie already has a mate,” she declared in protestation. “Everyone in the pack knows this.” Her eyes landed on the Lycan Prince as she jutted out her shin. “Go on, just ask her.”

Her words were like a spark that ignited a fire of whispers in the crowd. Both Lycans and werewolves respected and revered the mate bond. It was sacred, a divine blessing from the Moon Goddess herself.  

“Is this true?” the Lycan Prince asked, furrowing his brows in confusion, his voice low.

I lowered my head. I knew what he was thinking. If it was true, if I did in fact have a mate, then not even the Lycan Royal family could force me to break that bond. I could read his thoughts on his face.

This was the very reason my father had ordered the wolf suppressant. It was a desperate measure, yes, but he’d been desperate to sever my connection to Karter. It’s why he secretly locked me away for a week and forced the injection, weakening my wolf. If anyone knew what he’d done, he’d been seen as a disgrace. Tampering with someone’s wolf was a serious thing, as was locking up your own daughter. So for the sake of my father’s reputation, I didn’t say anything about it.

Instead, I lifted my chin and addressed the crowd, my voice steady despite my racing heart and the turmoil inside of me.

“My mate and my sister betrayed me,” I said coldly. “The two people I trusted most in the world plotted against me. They lured me away from the pack so they could usurp my father and take the Alpha title for themselves. They have put the safety of our entire pack at risk for their own selfish gains.”

Karter broke free from the crowd, stepping forward.

“That’s a lie!” he yelled, his voice filled with defiance. “I never betrayed you, Sadie. I love you. I always have. You’re the one twisting the truth.”

My anger flared. I couldn’t believe his audacity. Not even two hours ago he’d scoffed right in my face, calling me cold and frigid, declaring his love for my sister. I lunged at him and ripped his shirt wide open, exposing the faint red kiss marks all over his chest.

“See?” I said, pointing at his chest. He glared at me but I didn’t care. “These marks were left by Delphine, my own sister! While I was locked up in the dungeon my mate was kissing my sister! The Prince’s soldiers can confirm it if these kiss marks aren’t proof enough.”      

Everyone in the crowd turned to the Prince’s soldiers, including the Lycan Prince’s. The soldiers all gave a solemn nod, affirming my claim. They’d all seen and heard Karter and Delphine over the past week.

“That’s enough, Sadie,” Karter snapped at me.

But it wasn’t. I’d awoken the Sacred Slate. I was the chosen one, destined to be the Lycan Prince’s Luna. Karter had broken my heart. I wanted him to feel the same pain.

Fighting back my own heartbreak, I straightened my back and turned my eyes to Karter.

“I, Sadie Ambrose, reject you, Karter Cromwell, as my mate.” I said the words firmly, my voice strong with finality.

Karter crumpled forward, bending over, crippled by the physical pain of the broken matebond. But Delphine glared at me, her face twisted with jealousy. She knew that I could be the Prince’s Luna, now that my matebond was broken.

“She doesn’t even have a wolf,” Delphine shouted, her voice dripping with venom. “How can she be Luna?”

I was shocked that Delphine had stooped so low. She knew that my father had forced me to take a wolf suppressant. She always knew that I couldn’t tell anyone that for fear of ruining my father’s reputation.

She smiled at me sardonically.

“Isn’t that true, sister? You’re wolfless.”

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to explain. I had a wolf, but it was suppressed. I couldn’t tell the prince that though. I couldn’t bring that type of shame onto my father.

So I said nothing. But my silence spoke volumes.

I’d awoken the Sacred Slate. I was going to win the Luna selection, and I had to, to save my father. But now the Prince thought I was wolfless. How could I prove I had a wolf without exposing my father.

I glanced nervously at the Prince. The tension was thick in the air. He stared at me, his brow furrowed, his sharp eyes fixed on my face as though he were searching for answers.

The Lycan royal family would never accept a wolfless Luna. Everyone knew that.

In the next moment, the prince’s piercing gaze locked straight onto me. I clenched my fists, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

Would he choose me?